Abnormal sperm parameters such as oligospermia, asthenospermia, and teratozoospermia result in male factor infertility. Previous studies have shown that mitochondria play an important role in human spermatozoa motility. But the related pathogenesis is far from elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between gene associated with retinoid-interferon-induced mortality 19 (GRIM19) and asthenospermia. In this study, Grim19 knockout model (Grim19+/− mouse) was created through genome engineering. We showed that compared with WT mice, the sperm count and motility of Grim19+/− mice were significantly reduced. Grim19 may contribute to sperm count and vitality by influencing the mitochondrial membrane potential, intracellular reactive oxygen species production, and increasing cell apoptosis. The spermatogenic cells of all levels in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules were sparsely arranged, and the intercellular space became larger in the testis tissue of Grim19+/− mice. The serum testosterone concentration is significantly reduced in Grim19+/− mice. The expression of steroid synthesis-related proteins STAR, CYP11A1, and HSD3B was decreased in Grim19+/− mice. To further confirm whether changes in testosterone biosynthesis were due to Grim19 downregulation, we validated this result using Leydig cells and TM3 cells. We also found that Notch signaling pathway was involved in Grim19-mediated testosterone synthesis to some extent. In conclusion, we revealed a mechanism underlying Grim19 mediated spermatozoa motility and suggested that Grim19 affected the synthesis of testosterone and steroid hormones in male mouse partly through regulating Notch signal pathways.

The functional longevity of cryopreserved ovarian grafts is one of the most challenging questions regarding ovarian transplantation at present. This study used a rat ovarian grafting model to investigate whether ovarian tissues from adult rats, which had been cryopreserved by vitrification and followed by heterotopic transplantation, could establish long-term hormone secretion and follicle development. Fresh and cryopreserved ovarian tissues were autologously transplanted under the kidney capsule. One-third of the animals in each group (sham-operated, fresh autografts, cryopreserved autografts, or castrated) were killed 5, 8, or 10 months after transplantation. Vaginal cytology, serum estradiol (E₂), progesterone, and the morphology of the reproductive tract were used to assess ovarian function. Both fresh and cryopreserved ovarian grafts survived well in all the animal models with comparable proportion of follicles at each stage of folliculogenesis at all three time points. The serum E₂ and progesterone concentrations in the groups with fresh or cryopreserved grafts remained comparable with those in sham-operated controls at all investigated time points. However, a loss of grafts and primordial follicles following heterotopic transplantation was noted. In conclusion, the heterotopic autotransplantation of vitrified ovarian tissues from adult rat without vascular anastomosis can maintain long-term ovarian function and exert endocrine function in target organs, in spite of the reduction in follicle pool.

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition may play a role in adenomyosis. GRIM19 expression is downregulated in adenomyotic lesions, and the effects of this downregulation in adenomyosis remain relatively unclear. In this study, we aimed to explore whether aberrant GRIM19 expression is associated with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in adenomyosis and found that the expression of both GRIM19 and WT1 was low, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, which included significant changes in CDH1, CDH2 and KRT8 expression, occurred in adenomyotic lesions, as confirmed by Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. We provided novel insights into WT1 expression in adenomyosis, revealing that WT1 expression was increased in the endometrial glands of adenomyotic lesions by immunohistochemistry. In vitro, knockdown of GRIM19 expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of Ishikawa cells, as measured by Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing assay and Transwell assays. Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that WT1 expression increased and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition was induced, including the upregulation of CDH2 and downregulation of CDH1 and KRT8after transfecting the GRIM19 siRNA to Ishikawa cells. Furthermore, Wt1 expression was upregulated and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition was observed, including downregulation of Cdh1 and Krt8 in Grim19 gene-knockdown mice. Upregulation of Wt1 expression in the endometrial glands of Grim19 knockdown mice was also verified by immunohistochemistry. Taken together, these results reveal that low expression of GRIM19 in adenomyosis may upregulate WT1 expression and induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the endometria, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of adenomyosis.